The history of the Church is one of turmoil, so it should then not be surprising to me that I often hear of Catholics leaving the Church for one reason or another. Still, though I am not surprised, I am worried.
While many new converts are coming to the Church for the first time and plenty of children are being raised in it, we still see a good about of Catholics leaving the Church, and an even greater amount of Christians rejecting the notion of a Church at all. Brothers and sisters, I would like to address two concerns of mine that I tend to hear. First, often is it said that Christianity or belief is Christ rejects religion (and by extension the notion of a divinely instituted Church). Second, many Catholics within the Church have been avoiding the sacraments due to either skepticism of the Church or boredom within it. I wish to start with the former and move on to the latter.
I have heard from quite a few people that to be a disciple of Christ is to reject religion and instead to foster a relationship with Jesus. Logically, I believe this would entail a rejection of any sort of Church instituted by Jesus, as religion (in both plain language and in the dictionary)1 would amount to the systematic organization of belief—that which is exactly the job of the Church.
This, however, is certainly not the case. Jesus quite clearly instituted a Church among His Apostles. When speaking to them, Jesus gave the Church very strong authority within their community:
If your brother sins [against you], go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother. If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that ‘every fact may be established on the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church. If he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector. Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again, [amen,] I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.2
Keep in mind that this explanation would be quite clear to a Jew of the time, as both Gentiles and tax collectors were shunned and rejected in Jewish society; thus, someone who refuses to keep in good standing with the Church will be excluded from it. In this preliminary explanation of excommunication, Jesus instructs the Apostles to regulate the Church and the relationships of its members. At risk of unnecessarily stating the obvious, there must first be a Church to regulate. In fact, Jesus explicitly speaks of His establishment of this Church:
And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.3
Even disregarding the contentious interpretation of what “this rock” is,4 I believe it is quite clear to any denomination (and even non-believers) that Jesus is positively building a church. Rejecting religion or the Church would be rejecting that which Jesus tried to institute, claims of these others notwithstanding.
St. Luke, moreover, speaks of the “severe persecution of the church in Jerusalem” and Saul (later to be St. Paul) “trying to destroy the church”5; indeed, the entire book of the Acts of the Apostles describes the actions and troubles facing the early Church. St Paul gives incredible imagery in his Letter to the Ephesians in order to explain the relationship between Christ and his people, the Church:
For no one hates his own flesh but rather nourishes and cherishes it, even as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body.6
Thus, we are members of the body insofar as we are members of the Church. For those Christians who reject the Church by claiming that Christianity is a relationship and not a religion, their membership status within the mystical body of Christ (i.e. the Church which they reject) seems quite dubious. It might be claimed that the attack they pose is on “religion” and not “the Church”, but this would seem to be a plain abuse to words. Perhaps they mean to rebuke the hypocrites within Christianity, but all too often the message they portray throws the baby out with the bathwater. Of course we should rebuke hypocrisy, but to then reject the systematic portrayal of the faith and guidance of the faithful (which is the job of the Church) returns us to the problem we have just addressed. One cannot claim to reject the Church that Christ instituted without alienating themselves from Christ Himself.
Then, from those Catholics who have strayed from the Church I have seen a reluctance to return to the sacraments. This might be due to either the recent scandals within the Church (of which there are many, even aside from the horrible abuse scandals) or the increasing secularization of the world around them. To those who avoid the Church and the sacraments due to the terrible abuse scandals, I can only say this: We must always continue to oppose evil, especially the evil that arises from within the Church and from those who lead the faithful—never cease fighting against evil injustice and preaching the Gospel. This does not mean, however, that the glory of God or the grace given by the sacraments are diminished by the horrific actions of people who abuse their office. The sacraments of the Church instituted by the Christ are still valid and still give us God’s grace.
With regard to the secularization of the world, I can only pray that this secularization does not consume the message of the Gospel. Too often do we see tradition and reverence be replaced for modernism and secularism under the guise of “fun engagement.” There is certainly a time and a place for everything7—true fun engagement is crucial in our evangelism—but we must not turn from the reverent worship in the Mass or austere repentance in the confessional simply because they are not the “fun” manners of worship that we want to see. Coffee and pop music might have a place in social outreach, but they do not seem to have a place within the liturgy. We may think that attending Mass is boring, that the repetitive sitting, standing, kneeling, and repeating becomes old, but we do not go worship to be entertained—we go to give God what is due to Him and bring ourselves closer to Christ. It is possible, I might add, that this indifference or boredom felt toward the traditional Catholic manners of worship also comes from a lack of understanding. Without a well-formed understanding of the sacraments, it is easy to fail to appreciate them.
Nevertheless, we all should still strive to maintain within the Church and receive the sacraments. It deeply saddens me to see someone avoid them due to one reason or another. The great joy that comes in encountering the Real Presence of Christ by partaking in the Eucharist or receiving absolution and grace in confession is something that I wish for all to experience. My brothers and sisters, I hope for you to receive the graces freely given by God through the sacraments. As we strive to become more like Christ, we will need continual grace to live holy lives; and this, to live holy lives and become saints, is the greatest joy one can achieve, as it brings us closer to God. Still, many do not view it in the way that I do, and turn to more enticing alternatives. We can only pray that those who leave the Church will return shortly. I will leave you with Jesus’ warning in Revelation:
I know your works; I know that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.8
I implore you, my brothers and sisters, do not be lukewarm. Out of love for you all, I wish for you not to be spat out but to receive the greatest joy of being together with the Lord. Rather, live your faith with immense fervor. The sacraments are waiting for you, my friends—the Lord is waiting for you. Do not look to this world to give you satisfaction or validation; do not look to the Catholics who sin, but at the grace the Church that our Lord instituted can give you. Again, I adjure you all, do not be lukewarm. Return to the Church.
See, e.g., the Merriam-Webster definition of “religion.”
Matthew 18:15-20. Emphasis added. All verses used are taken from the New American Bible (Revised Edition).
Matthew 16:18. Emphasis added.
Catholics interpret the rock to mean Peter while Protestants (and some Orthodox Christians) would disagree. For the Catholic interpretation, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) §§ 551-553.
Acts 8:1, 3.
Ephesians 5:29-30.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 makes this clear.
Revelation 3:15-16.